Kings and Queens of Promise
by brianime
Summary: "...we were the kings and queens of promise...we were the victims of ourselves" collection drabbles about anyone and everyone in the Naruto universe. and a couple of OCs most likely there wont be any pairings but that may change as the story progresses. Prompts welcome and encouraged.
1. Smoke

_This probably as short as they are gonna get, so dont worry. The others will be much longer :D_

Sasuke learned at a young age that most things in the world weren't tangible. Hope, love, happiness. Or pain. You couldn't hold them, or described them, not like kunai or shuriken. Weapons were sharp, jagged, real. Upon this realization, that which he could not feel didn't exist. He abandoned thoughts of happiness, love, and hope and replaced them with the cool metal of blades.

However, hate was the anomaly. It was the gray in Sasuke's black and white world. Hate was powerful, powerful enough to feel real. It was like smoke, a black smolder the defiled the air around it. You could see, you could smell it, but you couldn't hold it. So, hate became yet another knife in his inner arsenal.

_So if you have any Naruto OCs that you wanna see in a story, send them my way :D_


	2. The Letter

_This is a quick OC about Sakura's grandfather. Hope you like it :D_

Step. Tap. Rustle. Sigh. Step. Tap. Rustle. Sigh. The old man shifted the paper bag in his arm, breaking the monotonous cycle. With shaky fingers, he unlocked the front door and hobbled through to the bright kitchen. Dropping the bag unceremoniously on the table, he headed to the living room. Pausing mid step, a slim, white envelope at the base of his door caught his eye.

Grumbling to no one about his sore back, he stooped and picked it up. The man looked at this foreign entity, and invader in an unchanging house. He didn't really care to open it. What was the point? However, against these hopeless thoughts he gently tore it open. Inside was a letter, crisp and clean, and an old, yellowed photo. His eyes slid over the new, white paper.

_Hey jiichan_, it read, _found this in the attic when we were cleaning things out. Thought it would make you smile. _

_Sakura_

With a newfound curiosity, the old man flipped over the worn sheet picture and glanced at it quickly. He let out a shaky breath in a rush, and placed it on the table, keeping one hand over the letter and the other over his heart. He did not smile. Slumping into the rickety kitchen chair beside the table, he let the tears fall.

"Himawari," the man choked out, "I miss you so much. I never thought I would have to live without you."

_If you found it confusing please let me know :)_


	3. Strength

Naruto straddled the old wooden swing that hung outside the academy, his forehead pressed against the fraying rope. His vibrant blue eyes gazed unseeing at the ground before him. The boy didn't need to see them to feel their hateful stares and sidelong glances. Nor did he need to listen to hear the whispers.

"_That boy…"_

"…_demon…  
_

"…_stay away from him."_

"…_shouldn't be here…"_

"…_monster…"_

"…_no good…"_

"_Why won't he leave?"_

Suddenly, a hand clamped down on Naruto's shoulder, pulling him out of his haze. He looked up to see the smiling face of the Third.

"Old man Hokage!" Naruto said in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

The Third's smile fell slightly. "Well, I heard that you failed the exam again."

"Oh…that," the boys' eyes returned to the ground. "Are you angry?" he asked after a moment.

The older man sighed. "No, I'm not angry. I'm disappointed," He looked down at the youngster, obnoxiously yellow hair, his shirt a blaring orange. He was certainly a sight to behold. "You are going to be a great ninja one day Naruto."

"Really?" the blond sniffed, brushing away unshed tears from his eyes.

Sarutobi smiled, "I'm sure of it," he said. "Sometimes our greatest strength is also the weakness that hinders us the most. Remember that, Naruto."

…

Years later, Naruto stood at the edge of his war torn village, gazing at the stone faces of the Hokages past, when this memory trickled back into his mind. He looked up at the sky, his eyes squinting in the sun, and smiled.

_Thank you, old man Hokage._


	4. Dead of Night

Sai's gaze slowing slid over the surrounding area. All clear. He jumped out from behind a tree and sprinted to the nearest shadow. Hidden, the ninja leaned against the wall at his back. His pulse was raced with adrenalin. He closed his eyes for a moment. _Stay calm, _he thought. _Excitement will result in mistakes. _And mistakes were something he could not afford.

He continued to take deep breathes until he heard a twig break to his left. Enemy. His eyes snapped open. Moving purely on instinct, he ran along the side of the building, away from the careless enemy. Sai kept to the shadows, body low. Just as he was about to vault himself over a low wall, a fireball torn a path towards him, its blinding light heat permeating the night, stealing away his cover. "Shit." he muttered as he dropped to the ground on his belly, quickly scooted deeper into the shadows and prayed that his black clothes would keep him unseen. Suddenly, figures burst from the shadows. "1, 2, 3, 4…" he whispered quietly, counting the men that jumped out. All were clad in black clothes with kunai and shuriken hanging from their belts. Armed with only a sword and his scrolls, he was at a disadvantage. Swearing again, he pressed his face into the dirt and slowed his breathing.

Sai listened as four sets of quiet footsteps made their way to where he was hiding. They moved closer and closer towards him. Just as he began to think he was in the clear, they stopped. Profanities filled the ninja's mind as he stopped breathing altogether. He remained still until he heard a soft snicker pass through the enemy in front of him. That was all the confirmation he needed, he had been found. Without a second thought, he lept up, slicing his blade in wide arc in front of him before, spinning running in the other direction. He had barely made two steps before he heard the distant sound of a blade being drawn. Pain ripped through his shoulder and with a thud, he hit the ground, hard. Cradling his injured shoulder, he tilted his head up to look at the man standing above him. He grinned down at the injured man.

"Sai, it's so nice to see you again." He purred.

Horror poured through his veins, "Brother?" he croaked out.

The man nodded, "That's right." He said with a sinister smile.

Sai opened his mouth and tried to force the unasked questions from his throat, but they wouldn't surface. _What was going on? Why are you here, Brother? Why are you doing this? How did you get here? _

His man leaned down and chuckled darkly in his ear, "Good-bye,"

His brother looked at him in confusion and opened his mouth once again. "Wha-", he was short as the white hot pain of a blade pierced his chest, silencing him forever.

…

Sai shot up, hands clutching his chest. Panting hard, he looked around widely. He was in a large clearing surrounded by a circle of trees. Beside him lay the three sleeping figures of Team 7. Naruto snored loudly from the far edge of the ring. Slowly, Sai's hands relaxed and his breathing slowed.

"A dream, just a dream," he whispered to himself in the dark. The ninja lay down and closed his eyes once more.

_Good-bye, Brother._


	5. Shattered Dreams

_This is from Hinata's POV, set before Shippuden. Hope you like it :D_

"You will never amount to anything!" he screamed. "You don't have the skill or drive to be a ninja and you never will."

I flinched nearly imperceptibly away from his harsh words.

"You are a failure, a disgrace to the clan." he continued.

I stood in front of him with my head bowed, taking blow after blow.

"Don't bother going to the Academy tomorrow. It is a waste of time and you will only further embarrass me if you return there."

My hands began to tremble slightly.

"Dismissed." he said, his cold finality ending the one sided 'conversation'. I turned and moved swiftly out of the room before sprinting to mine after I was out of eye sight.

When I reached my room, my knees buckled as the tears I had been holding back finally ripped free. A broken sob tore through my chest as my shoulders shook in anguish. The salty tears ran rivers down my cheeks as I wept.

I watched as my world crumbled before my eyes. My hopes. My dreams. All crushed in an instant. Everything I had ever wanted, or been told to want, had been taken away from me in one clean sweep.

Kneeling on the ground, I rocked back and forth, trying in vain to snuff my cries and push down the tears. Push down the thought that I was disappoint, that I was worthless. Despite these efforts, my tears continued to stain my clothes until night gave way to daylight.

…

In the end, Father had decided to allow me to go back to the Academy, claiming that "not attending would only disgrace the clan even more." I thanked him profusely before running the whole way there, my heart feeling lighter with each step I took from home.

From then on, I was more careful, more respectful, and worked harder at my studies. I moved around the house as if it was made of shattered glass. And fear, there was always the fear that my dreams, however forced they were, could be taken from in an instant.

_Review please :D_


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